Dear Subscriber,

With the good weather returning to Taipei, we are off to a good start to the week!

Hosted by the Saxon State Minister for Science, Culture and Tourism Sebastian Gemkow, we organized the Saxon Evening last week. Nearly 60 representatives from academia, German semiconductor firms in Taiwan, and esteemed guests from ESMC and TSMC gathered to celebrate a successful year of collaboration between Taiwan and the Free State of Saxony. Notable achievements include the opening of the Saxon Science Liaison Office Taipei in September and the formalization of the Semiconductor Talent Incubation Program at TSMC. Read more about this program and future cooperation plans in our Top News.

As we opened the registration for our annual GTO Economic Outlook 2024 & Wirtschaftsstammtisch last week, we already received great numbers of participants. Therefore, we would like to encourage you to sign up before we reach our maximum number of participants, in order for you to get updated on the current political and economic challenges and expectations of German companies in Taiwan, based on the results of our Business Confidence Survey. Find more benefits of attending this event in our Top News.

We have another interesting event for you up our sleeves. As part of the delegation trip from March 4th to March 8th, 2024, focusing on sporting goods, fitness, and leisure equipment, we will host a German-Taiwanese Conference on this topic, establishing a platform catering to Taiwanese companies seeking new brands to enhance their product portfolios and connecting them with suppliers offering high-quality products with the “Made in Germany” brand. You can find the sign-up link in our GTO News.

Lastly, we would like to introduce and welcome our new Gold Member of our GTO German Business Alliance: Würth Group. The Würth Group stands as the foremost global leader in the development, production, and distribution of fastening and assembly materials. Originating from the German town of Künzelsau, this family business encompasses over 400 companies with a presence in 80 countries through a network of over 2,700 branch offices and shops. The Würth Group, with its unwavering commitment to high-quality products and extensive services, transcends beyond mere products, earning the trust of over four million customers. Read more about them in our Business Alliance News.

We wish you a great week!

Axel Limberg
Delegate and Chief Representative of German Industry & Commerce in Taiwan
Executive Director of the German Trade Office Taipei

Last week,  we organized the “Saxon Evening”, hosted by the Saxon State Minister for Science, Culture and Tourism Sebastian Gemkow at the Grand Hyatt Taipei.

The Saxon State Minister welcomed almost 60 representatives of academia, German semiconductor companies in Taiwan, as well as distinguished guests from ESMC and TSMC. This was to celebrate a successful year of cooperation between Taiwan and the Free State of Saxony, including highlights like the opening of the Saxon Science Liaison Office Taipei in September, and the signing of the Semiconductor Talent Incubation Program (#STIPT) at TSMC.

In response to the talent demand for TSMC's fab in Dresden, Saxon State Minister Gemkow highlighted that 30 students will be sent to Taiwan for training and internship starting in March this year through STIPT. In total the program will support up to 100 students from Saxony each year, with students receiving theoretical and practical training in the semiconductor industry in Taiwan.

The Saxon-Taiwanese program is a joint initiative of the Free State of Saxony, Technische Universität Dresden and TSMC. It includes a study program and practical training in Taiwan at TSMC, a global leader in the semiconductor sector.

We are very much looking forward to the first students arriving in March and for this cooperation to blossom further.

Introduction

The German Trade Office Taipei is happy to announce that we will kick off the year of the Dragon with our annual “GTO Economic Outlook 2024 & Wirtschaftsstammtisch” event on February 22, 2024.

All friends and members of the Taiwanese-German business community are sincerely invited to join our event which includes:

• A presentation on the results of our annual Business Confidence Survey, giving you a comprehensive overview on the current political and economic challenges and expectations of German companies in Taiwan
• An extensive outlook on the future development of the Taiwanese economy
• Insights of specific industries, including manufacturing, automotive and semiconductors provided by experts of leading German companies in Taiwan
• A great networking opportunity with German food and drinks

Event Details & Registration

• Date: February 22, 2024
• Venue: ILLUME Taipei, Grand Ballroom A, 2. Floor
• Registration Time: 16:00 – 16:30
• Event Time: 16:30 – 22:00
• Price: 2,500 NT$
• Agenda: Download

*The price includes dinner including drinks that will be served during the Wirtschaftsstammtisch starting at 19:00.

For more information about this event, please visit our event website.

GTO Economic Outlook 2024 & Wirtschaftsstammtisch
22.02.2024 | Location: ILLUME Taipei, Grand Ballroom A, 2. Floor

Geschäftsanbahnung für deutsche Hersteller von Sportartikeln, Fitness- und Freizeitgeräten
04.03.-08.03.2024 | Location: Taipei

Expert Symposium: German-Taiwanese Conference Regarding the Sporting Goods, Fitness and Leisure Equipment
05.03.2024 | Location: ILLUME Taipei

Cross-Border Exchange on Cooperation Potential in the Field of E-Mobility Between Taiwan and Germany
15.04-19.04.2024 | Location: Taipei, Kaohsiung

Geschäftsanbahnung für deutsche Hersteller Zweiräder inkl. Zweiradkomponenten
13.-17.05.2024 | Location: Taipei

Become part of our GTO German Business Alliance!
More information about our membership packages on our website.

Introduction

As part of the market development program of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Climate Action, DEinternational Taiwan Ltd., the service unit of the German Trade Office Taipei, is organizing a delegation visit focusing on sporting goods, fitness and leisure equipment, which will take place between March 4 and 8, 2024.

The delegation trip is intended to create a platform for Taiwanese companies that are looking for new brands for their product portfolio and suppliers of high-quality products Made in Germany.

The German Trade Office Taipei will host the German-Taiwanese Conference regarding the sporting goods, fitness and leisure equipment on March 5th, 2024.

Following the conference, participants will have the opportunity to get to know the German companies better while enjoying coffee and lunch.

Event Details

• Date: March 5, 2024
• Venue: ILLUME Taipei, 100, Dunhua N. Rd., Songshan Dist., 10547, Taipei, Taiwan
• Event Time: 09:00 – 16:00
• Price: Free of charge

Agenda coming soon!

For more information about this event, please visit our event website.

Registration

Introduction

The second “Made in Germany” EUREM European Energy Management Training Course was successfully completed in October 2023 and we are currently accepting registrations for the third course, starting this March.

The EUREM is a standardized further education to train employees to obtain the necessary know-how to identify energy efficiency potentials in your company. This not only saves you costs, but it will also help you reach your goals for sustainability and decarbonization.

Benefits

• Coverage of all major technologies
• Management aspects for precise calculations
• Long-term network
• Extra-Occupational online Training
• Comprehensive energy concept for savings during the training

Want to know more about how previous participants benefitted from their EUREM Energy Efficiency Training? Then read more in our experience reports below!

• How a EUREM energy-saving project saves a company over NT$26 million annually
• How an engineer's energy-saving initiative reduces its company's lighting costs by 57% in Taiwan
• How a Taiwanese engineer achieves 12% energy savings by creating a water-saving electromechanical system

Program Details

• Program start: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 19:00
• Duration: 160 units of 45 minutes (145 teaching units + 15 units self-study and project work) over 7 – 8 months
• Training times: Weekdays (19:00 – 22:00) and Saturdays (09:00 – 16:00)
• Fully online courses in English
  

Certificate

Participants who complete the class, pass the written examination and report, obtain the "European Energy Professionals" international certificate issued by the German Nuremberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry. More than 6,000 professionals worldwide have been awarded this certificate and Taiwanese graduates will become part of this international network.

Participation Fees

Signing Up

If your company is interested in sending an employee to join the course to become a certified European Energy Manager, or if you would like to discuss content and benefits in detail, you are very welcome to contact our colleague Ms. Ellie Kan at kan.ellie@taiwan.ahk.de or 02-7735-7522.

Find more information on our official EUREM website.

Vom 15. bis 19. April 2024 findet unsere Delegationsreise nach Taiwan im Bereich Elektromobilität statt. Die Reise wird im Rahmen des Programms zur Internationalisierung der Regionen im Strukturwandel von GTAI Germany Trade and Invest durchgeführt und vom BMWK Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz gefördert. In Zusammenarbeit mit der Investitionsförderungsgesellschaft NRW.Global Business und den Unternehmensclustern automotiveland.nrw und der Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier für DEinternational Taiwan, die Dienstleistungsgesellschaft des Deutschen Wirtschaftsbüros Taipei (AHK Taiwan) ein spannendes fünftägiges Programm durch, bei dem sich deutsche Unternehmen vernetzen können und umfangreiche Einblicke in die taiwanische Elektromobilitätsbranche erhalten.

Taiwan beherbergt bereits weltweit führende Unternehmen in den Bereichen Elektronik und Halbleiter. Das über Jahrzehnte angesammelte Knowhow in der Produktentwicklung und Massenproduktion soll dazu genutzt werden, künftig auch in der Elektromobilität eine führende Rolle einzunehmen. Bereits jetzt sind Hersteller wie Tesla stark auf Komponenten aus taiwanischer Fertigung angewiesen. Für deutsche Unternehmen die ideale Möglichkeit, neue Anreize für Innovationen und Geschäftsmodelle sowie neue Kooperations- und Vertriebspartner zu gewinnen.

Weiterführende Informationen sowie einen Link zur Anmeldung finden Sie auf dieser Website.

Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme!

Introducing the latest Gold Member of our GTO German Business Alliance: Würth Group.

The Würth Group is the global market leader in the development, production, and sale of fastening and assembly materials. More than 400 companies operating over 2,700 branch offices and shops in 80 countries form part of this global family business, which hails from the German town of Künzelsau.The wholesaling business for screws and bolts, established by Adolf Würth with only two employees in 1945, has evolved into a globally operating group with more than 87,000 employees, over 43,000 of whom work directly with customers everyday through the Group’s different sales channels. More than four million customers place their trust in the high-quality products and the comprehensive services that extend far beyond the actual products.

The Würth Group is divided into two operational units: The Würth Line, on the one hand, specializes in the production of fastening and assembly materials for customers in the skilled trades and the industry. Other trading and production companies, known as the Allied Companies, operate in related business areas, ranging from electrical wholesaling and electronics to financial services. The Group achieved sales of EUR 20.4 billion according to the preliminary financial statements in the 2023 fiscal year.

Find out more information about Würth Group here.

The 2024 ITB Berlin is set to take place in March! GTO is offering an exclusive discount on tickets.

The ITB Berlin, with a history of over 50 years, will be held from March 5th to 7th in Berlin this year. As the world's largest B2B travel trade show, it annually attracts tens of thousands of travel professionals and experts from around the globe. Not only is it a major event in the travel industry, but it also serves as an excellent platform for observation and exchange among travel businesses.

ITB Berlin embraces the spirit of "Pioneering the Transition in Travel & Tourism. Together" and offers the latest travel information to the industry through four main stages with a total of 17 thematic tracks. It's also an excellent opportunity to attract European tourists to visit Taiwan.

Tickets for the ITB Berlin 2024 are now on sale. Enter the exclusive discount code ITB24_AV_TW_7070 to enjoy a 5% discount.

For more information about the exhibition and tickets, please refer to our website.

From the perspective of the German economy, the outcome of the presidential election in Taiwan with the victory of William Lai (also Lai Ching-te) is not bad news. The candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) primarily stands for continuity in the policies of his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, who will remain in office until May. These include a focus on economic growth and social equalization, promoting the semiconductor industry and continuing the energy transition towards renewable energies that began in 2016.

The Taipei stock exchange reacted on Monday after the election weekend with rising prices for chip manufacturers. German companies from the energy sector can also be heard "breathing a sigh of relief". In discussions with Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), German company representatives in other sectors take a sober to neutral view of the election results. Neither sales of consumer goods nor industrial products are expected to be fundamentally affected. Taiwan is considered an attractive market due to the high prosperity of its population and the planned massive expansion of semiconductor capacities.

Read the full article (in German) on the GTAI website.

Taiwan's Jobless Rate Dips to 23-Year Low in 2023

Taiwan's jobless rate fell to the lowest level in 23 years after the unemployment rate moved lower than a month earlier for the fourth consecutive month in December, indicating a stable job market on the island, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said last week Monday.

Data compiled by the DGBAS showed the December jobless rate fell 0.01 percentage points from a month earlier to 3.33 percent, while unemployment for 2023 as a whole was 3.48 percent, the lowest level since 2000, when the jobless rate stood at 2.99 percent, and fell 0.19 percentage points from a year earlier.

However, after seasonal adjustments, the December unemployment rate rose 0.03 percentage points from November to 3.40 percent, the data indicated.

(Last access: 26.01.2024 / Focus Taiwan)

Food and Beverage Sales Highest Ever

Sales in the food and beverage sector last year rose 18.8 percent from a year earlier to US$32.9 billion, the highest ever, with sales last month expanding for the 20th consecutive month, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said last Tuesday.

Last month’s sales increased 7.5 percent to NT$94.1 billion from a year earlier as restaurants and beverage outlets benefited from holiday consumption, special sales promotions and new brand launches, the ministry said in a report, adding that catering services were boosted by demand for in-flight meals as airlines increased flights.

The sector is expected to perform well this month during the high season for corporate gatherings, but sales might be lower than a year earlier due to a high comparison base, the ministry said, adding that sales are projected to fall by 3.2 percent to 6.2 percent annually.

(Last access: 26.01.2024 / Taipei Times)

Taiwan’s ProLogium Opens EV Battery ‘Gigafactory’ in Taoyuan

Taiwanese electric vehicle battery maker ProLogium opened the world’s first “gigafactory” for electric vehicle (EV) batteries in Taoyuan.

The Taoke factory is the world’s first giga-scale solid-state lithium ceramic battery facility, the company said. ProLogium said the plant will initially have a production capacity of 0.5 GWh, with a maximum production capacity of 2 GWh a year, according to CNA.

The company said its Taoke plant will be able to supply batteries for up to 26,000 EVs a year. The plant is expected to create 1,200 jobs in Taoyuan.

(Last access: 26.01.2024 / Taiwan News)

TSMC Stock Sale Makes Up 80 Percent of Stabilization Fund's Gains

The selling of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) shares accounted for almost 80 percent of the profit raked in by the Financial Stabilization Fund following its latest market intervention, according to the fund.

Data disclosed on Friday by the stabilization fund, which is set up to help mitigate market volatility, showed that it pocketed NT$8.32 billion (US$266 million) in net profit through its sale of TSMC shares, which accounted for about 79.7 percent of the total NT$10.44 billion of gains garnered by the fund.

(Last access: 29.01.2024 / Focus Taiwan)